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I was going to post my Vancon report this morning, but there’s something I want to talk about first. That something is Misha Collins. Partly because the events of the past week are so upsetting, which makes me long for a leader whose moral conviction and willingness to stand up for what he believes in can actually make change in this world that needs it so badly. Partly because I just finished my third Gishwhes, and watched Misha’s genuine and emotional reaction to the change we were all able to make together — I can’t think of ‘leader’ without thinking of Misha. Partly because Misha got some criticism for something he posted online, which I read as supportive but some read as the opposite – which can happen on the internet, no matter how good your intentions. Partly because I got some criticism too – which happens every time I…

I was going to post my Vancon report this morning, but there’s something I want to talk about first. That something is Misha Collins. Partly because the events of the past week are so upsetting, which makes me long for a leader whose moral conviction and willingness to stand up for what he believes in can actually make change in this world that needs it so badly. Partly because I just finished my third Gishwhes, and watched Misha’s genuine and emotional reaction to the change we were all able to make together — I can’t think of ‘leader’ without thinking of Misha. Partly because Misha got some criticism for something he posted online, which I read as supportive but some read as the opposite – which can happen on the internet, no matter how good your intentions. Partly because I got some criticism too – which happens every time I…

The Winchesters and Cas are most definitely Superheroes onscreen – those characters have inspired countless Supernatural fans to keep on fighting even against odds that sometimes seem insurmountable. But in the real world, it’s the actors who bring those characters to life who are the real world superheroes – through the Represent tee shirt campaigns, the messages that You Are Not Alone and Always Keep Fighting, the Crisis Support Network, and Random Acts global change initiatives. One of the most exciting new projects is a partnership between Random Acts and the Pop Culture Hero Coalition to combat bullying. Supernatural’s Genevieve Padalecki is one of the contributors to the partnership, and joined some other crusaders for change on a Comic Con panel to talk about their important work.

The Superheroes In Real Life panel takes the prize for being my most inspiring hour of Comic Con this year – and that’s…

Phoenix Con was the first con after a bit of a break, for those of us who weren’t lucky enough to go to any of the non-US cons, so it was great to see everyone again. The cast of course, but also my vendors room buddies and fellow fans and friends new and old. My old friend CB, from my very first job as an ‘adult’, now lives in Phoenix, so she came to the con to keep me company in the vendor’s room for part of the time. For another part of the time, she was sick with a nasty stomach flu, which left me on my own in the vendor’s room – which makes it very difficult to get any food or drink or even to run to the bathroom! But never underestimate the kindness of the SPNFamily. There were several contributors to Family Don’t End With Blood…

When my agent suggested that I have a party to celebrate the release of Family Don’t End With Blood: Cast and Fans on How Supernatural Has Changed Lives, I was skeptical. Who does that? Not unknowns like me, that’s for sure. Who would come? Would I just be standing in a Barnes & Noble tossing confetti up in the air in an empty room? But the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to celebrate this book that was two years in the making. This book is not mine – it belongs to all 25 contributors who wrote from the heart and poured their genuine emotions into their chapters, both fans and Supernatural cast. For most of them, it wasn’t an easy task. They are students and business women and moms and IT consultants. They are talented actors. But they are not, for the most part, writers…

I was so exuberant over Supernatural’s penultimate episode of the season that I went into the finale episode already an emotional wreck – in the very best of ways. I honestly sort of wanted a while to just savor all those wonderful warm feelings, but of course Show just couldn’t let me do that. I barely had time to grab another glass of wine before the familiar notes of Carry On Wayward Son were making me even MORE emotional. There are so many things that happen that are special when a television show has been on this long and had this much impact – even the band Kansas, who recorded that classic, tweeted about the season finale, knowing that every single fan was going to go nuts when Supernatural’s unofficial theme song was played.

The recap took us through a season of ups and downs, through a lot of episodes…

I feel like I’ve been waiting all season to write a review like this one – one where I unequivocally enthusiastically at-the-top-of-my-lungs want to scream from the rooftops that THIS IS MY SHOW AND I EFFING LOVE IT! I’ve already regaled writer Robert Berens with all the reasons why he can never leave Supernatural, so he’s probably regretting writing this masterpiece, but honestly, I can’t help it. There were quite a few episodes this season that were disappointing, last week’s especially, so the reminder of why I fell for this Show and just how incredible it can be felt like the very best sort of relief. At least half my live tweets were in all caps, and that hasn’t happened since the last Robbie Thompson episode. I’m incredibly grateful to be able to return to that kind of enthusiasm for my favorite Show.